Team Asuma, also known as Team 10, is a generation in the Ino–Shika–Chō Trio (いの しか ちょうトリオ, Ino–Shika–Chō Torio). As such, the three team members are good friends and have exceptional team work, although they tend to bicker from time to time. All three members of Team 10 are skilled at stalling opponents. They were led by Asuma until his death in Part II. Kakashi led them temporarily after that to help them avenge Asuma's death. The team is assumed to still be active, although without a permanent leader.

During the time-skip in the anime, for the second Chūnin Exams, Sakura temporarily joined the team (whose other teammates were not in the village), as a team of three is required. Asuma placed Shikamaru in charge, having already become a chūnin.

Along with the other members of the Konoha 11, Team 10 had regrettably decided to kill Sasuke Uchiha after he attacked Kumogakure on behalf of Akatsuki in order to stop him from sinking any lower as a missing-nin and risk causing a devastating international war as a result. However, Naruto Uzumaki persuaded them that he will deal with Sasuke alone.

Shikamaru was eventually promoted to jōnin and became Naruto's advisor and right-hand man when he became Hokage, and married Temari and had a son named Shikadai. Ino married Sai after taking her father's duties for the Shinobi Union, and had a son named Inojin. Chōji married Karui and had a daughter named Chōchō.

Known Missions

In a joint mission with Team 7, Team 10 was deployed to save the granddaughter of a village headman who was taken hostage by a bandit leader named Baji. Allowing himself to be held captive so he can know the location of the hostages, Shikamaru enabled Ino and Chōji to locate his position so they can free the hostages and defeat the bandits.

While they were still genin, Team Asuma was sent to aid Kosuke Maruboshi who was being pursued by a group of Iwa shinobi. Using their teamwork in conjunction with ambush tactics, they managed to defeat the pursuers and save Kosuke.

When Asuma died fighting the Akatsuki member Hidan, the three swore revenge and stayed together under the name "Team 10", albeit without a jōnin commander. When they prepared to depart on the day the duo had promised to return, Tsunade, however, objected to them recklessly seeking revenge even with Shikamaru's plan, and forbade them from undertaking the mission, as they do not qualify as the standard four-man cell. However, Kakashi Hatake opted to lead the squad on this mission. The team's revenge was consummated with the defeat of Hidan whom Shikamaru trapped within the Nara Clan Forest, and Kakuzu's death, with backup from the rest of Team Kakashi.

Trivia

Asuma gave all three of his students a pair of silver knob earrings,[2] as part of a tradition where a Sarutobi gives the members of the Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi clans earrings when they are promoted to the rank of chūnin.[3]

The name "Ino–Shika–Chō" is a reference to a card combination in the Hanafuda card game, Koi-Koi; Inoshikachō uses the Boar (猪, Ino), the Deer (鹿, Shika), and the Butterfly (蝶, Chō).

When Team 10 was introduced properly during the Chūnin Exams, Naruto Uzumaki commented on them with the less-than-flattering nickname The Idiot (O-baka) trio, referring to each members' most obvious and annoying habit (food for Chōji, complaining for Shikamaru, and obsessing with Sasuke for Ino).[5]